It's Only A Nightmare
by xxXTheySayI'mEvilXxx
Summary: Evil. Cruel. Villainous. They were mere souls controlled by the Preeminent. They had no good inside them, only evil. They certainly weren't innocent children. They certainly weren't wanting, begging, to be free of their Mistress's tyranny. They absolutely were not wishing that it was only a nightmare, that they would wake up and be free, right?
1. Aftermath

**So... hey guys! This is gonna be a collection of one shots, thrown out story ideas, and drabbles circling around the ghosts of the Preeminent.**

 **Lots of hurt/comfort, tradgey and angst, be warned.**

* * *

 _Breathe. In, and out._

 _That's all the North Wind thought, as she was running. She was in her mortal form, a dangerous form to be in, for she was after her. The North Wind only prayed to her father, Uranus, the sky, to protect her._

 _"Give me the child," a voice whispered. The North Wind looked to the baby in her arms, only two years old, with beautiful grey eyes and midnight black hair. Identical to her. The little boy wasn't crying, for he never did, but a frown was on his face as he looked up with sparkling eyes at the wind element. He knew something bad was happening, but too innocent to know what._

 _North Wind held the child tighter, as a woman dressed in black and greens appeared. She had sickly green hair and blood-red eyes that stared at the child._

 _"You know as well as I your child will only bestow misfortune. Let me take him so the mortal world stays safe." North Wind knew it was true. She carried the souls of the dead to the afterlife, along with her three brothers. The child would then be cursed with the ability to seek out those close to death. But... he derseved a life. Not with her._

 _North Wind held the child to her chest, her long black hair almost concealing him. "Never, you shall not lay a finger on him."_

 _The woman laughed, spreading her arms. "I am a Realm, Wind. I am higher than you, and will get my way! The Fates already despise you Mighty Ones, so I am truly helping you!"_

 _North Wind's eyes narrowed as she glared. "My father is the sky, he has much more power than you!" She lifted her head. "I am the wind that blows in every Realm. You are no more higher than me than a measly worm."_

 _The woman laughed as she stepped closer. Immediately, a greenish tentacle whipped out of her cloak and grabbed the child. North Wind pulled back. "No!" She cried, as a heavy wind knocked the woman down. Immediately, it formed into a man with ice in his hair, a long blue robe, and piercing blue eyes._

 _"South," North Wind gasped. Her younger brother only nodded in response._

 _"Leave the child alone, Preeminent."_

 _Said Realm in question only smiled. "Your child is already marked as mine, my job is done." The Preeminent vanished._

 _North Wind and South Wind stared at the child in horror. A green streak was formed on the right side of his hair. North Wind petted her child, tears forming in her eyes._

 _"Oh, my baby I'm sorry. I'm sorry Tomorrow."_

* * *

Alone, in a cell in Kryptarian Prison, a boy, seeming eight years old, sat in a bare cell. He had a long white hospital robe on and his long hair tied back in a ponytail.

Two guards were watching him, keeping an eye on him at all times. But it wasn't needed, for all the boy did was draw random patterns on the wall with his finger. Occasionally, he would murmur something nonsensical, but he was silent for most of the time.

"Hurts. Pain. Dark," he muttered sadly, moving his finger away from the wall to curl up. "Hurts. Alone. Mommy help!"

There was a woman that walked past the guards, opening the door and entering the cell. She had her hair in a tight bun and holding a clipboard with a soft smile on her face. "Morro... it's lunchtime," she said slowly. She looked at the child carefully. He didn't like sudden movements and many people. Usually, there was one person, preferably female as they found out, to guide him through daily routines.

Morro didn't face her. "Dark. Scary. Cold. Cold. Ice Cream..." he gave a short laugh at himself, before moving to the wall and drawing another pattern with his fingertip.

The woman gave a sad smile. The child was only eight, the poor thing, and he was already spitting out nonsense like some lunatic. And he was a tiny little thing, short for his age and probably only reaching her stomach. "If you come with us and eat lunch, we can possibly give you a marker so you can really draw."

That got Morro's attention. He turned to face the woman, crouched on his feet with his white hospital robe covering his feet. He looked at the lady slowly. "Hurts. Dark. Mommy." Morro pointed to the lady. "You?"

"I'm Miss Beth. I'm going to be your new helper, okay sweetie?" She said nicely. She gave another sad smile. "I'm sorry, but your mom's not here."

Morro's expression suddenly changed from innocent to angry. "Here!" He cried. Miss Beth realized she was stepping into sensitive territory, so she smiled again.

"Okay sweetie, aren't you hungry? Let's have some lunch okay?" He tentatively reached out a hand to grasp hers like a normal child would to their mother, and Miss Beth wondered if something did happen to his. Morro was found on the streets screaming out random words, and passers recognized him as one of the ghosts that had attacked Stixx not to long ago. He was immediately taken to the prison, but when the judge saw an eight-year-old boy with mental instability, he let the child have better standards and help.

Morro walked with Miss Beth to the lunchroom, as the cafeteria workers watched him sit down. Morro looked nervously around at the other people.

A man in a crisp suit carried the tray for him, as Miss Beth held her clipboard. She was to mark down any behavior he showed.

The second Morro saw what was on the plate, carrots, peas, and a sort of pudding, he grabbed a fistful of the peas and threw them far away from him. He quickly repeated the process until the man made him stop. Morro looked at him with scared eyes, then traveled to his pocket where he had multiple pens. Morro suddenly pounded his tiny fists into the man, making him fall back as he grabbed on of the pens and broke it into pieces.

The cafeteria workers quickly restrained him as one forced him into a straight-jacket. Miss Beth looked at the pen. It was green. As was the peas. She quickly made as assumtion and wrote down something.

Trigger color: Green?

The second Morro didn't see any green, he acted perfectly normal. One of the workers spoon-fed him, and he obeyed without protest. However, Miss Beth saw his arms twitching from the straight-jacket.

Doesn't like being restrained.

Morro quickly finished up the food, and looked quizzically over at Miss Beth. His face asked a silent question: Did I do okay?

Her heart broke at the poor child. "Okay, Morro. You did good. Just don't hurt anyone next time, okay?"

"Green," he protested quietly. "Green bad. Hate green. Make hurt. No green!"

Miss Beth nodded sympathetically. "Okay Morro. No green. I promise."

Morro's eyes met her's. "Dark. Scary. Green." He shivered as she carefully took off the straight-jacket. He held out his hand. "Draw?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.

Miss Beth shook her head. "I don't have anything on me right at the moment. I'll get one."

The boy's lips turned down as his eyes flashed. "Promise! You promise! Hate you! Break promise! Bad!" He screeched, continuing to punch her with his fists. It hurt, but not by very much. Miss Beth scooped him up, and he eventually quieted. "You promised..." he sniffed. "You promised you'd get me something to draw."

Miss Beth was surprised he actually said a coherent sentence for once, but Morro wrapped his arms around her. "Bailey..." he said.

"No, I'm Beth. Not Bailey," she corrected.

Morro pulled back, staring at her. His hands moved to her bun, which he carefully undid. She offered no resistance as he grabbed it to stare at it. He then looked at her eyes. Morro frowned sadly. "Not Bailey."

Miss Beth took him to his cell—room, as she should call it—and let him sit.

Morro immediately sat next to the wall, leaning his head against the cold surface and drawing patterns. He started reciting his mantra of Dark, Scary, Hurt.

Miss Beth wrote it down immediately, before he switched.

"Bailey, Seth, Wyatt, Grant."


	2. It's Alright

**Warning: panic attack, mentions of death. Arsha.**

* * *

Bansha wasn't sure what happened. One moment she was perfectly fine, ready to go destroy the Ninja at her Mistress's wish. They would be gone, along with that green brat that broke her friend beyond repair.

Then, the next second, she was gasping for breath.

Which, when you think, would be quite a puzzling thing to do, as ghosts are dead, therefor not needing any oxygen for their bodies to function, since they are merely a soul with a sense of direction.

Call it habit, as unshedable tears formed in her eyes from flashbacks. She could see Soul Archer's dead body, merely _sixteen years old._ They've been stuck here for twenty years, ripping away most of their life. But... all Bansha could see was her Archie's scared expression and blood pooling around his white skin.

"No," she gasped, feeling the Preeminent's snickering voice in her head. She would torture her ghosts to do what she pleased, or just for the fun of it. They couldn't run away from her, so they were left to suffer. "Stop! Stop!"

Sobs wracked her translucent body, making her shake as her tail formed to legs and she fell to the ground. "Don't, please... stop..."

What did she do to deserve this? What did she do to be taken to the Cursed Realm instead of the Departed Realm? She should have had a happy afterlife, but instead, she was stuck here. Not quite the Underworld but yet not the Departed Realm.

She didn't deserve it. To be stuck in this world, having a panic attack as she was now, barely thinking...

"Bansha..." She heard a quiet voice behind her, as arms wrapped around her torso and a head rested calmly on her shoulders. "Breathe. Even it out. Slowly." She listened, slowing the unnecessary inhales and exhales until she didn't anymore.

"Thanks..." she muttered quietly. Soul Archer only gave a sad smile as the other ghost turned to face him. "I just... I saw you..." her voice shook as she quivered like a leaf blowing in the wind. Soul Archer immediately knew she wasn't talking about _him,_ Soul Archer. Him, Seth. Soul Archer pushed the thoughts aside, as he wrapped his arms around the other comfortingly.

"I know, and I know it hurts. Everyday. But we can't reverse time. Not without consequence." Soul Archer watched as Bansha's eyes grew cold, rebuilding her mask. He took pride in being on of the few that could see the real her, as she probably did for him.

But right now he needed her to loosen up, to talk to him. "I know," she spoke finally, "but it doesn't stop the pain."

Soul Archer gently pulled back the hood of Bansha's mask, exposing black hair and deep blue eyes. He smiled gently. " _There's_ my songbird."

Bansha's eyes slowly met his as he pulled off his hood, green eyes staring in her blue. He wrapped his hands around her neck, leaning closer so their foreheads touched. Soul Archer hesitated on what to say.

Relationships were _not_ a thing in the Cursed Realm, mostly because if they even were married, the significant other would be somewhere else, forcing the ghost to be forever alone. But even through that, there was just none. The Preeminent didn't allow it.

Soul Archer couldn't care less. As long as he had his songbird at his side, he would be willing to go through any pain just to stay.

Bansha was his world, and it nearly broke when she rested her chin on his shoulder and cried more. "I hate having to pretend we're evil, that we're the villains trying to take out the Ninja. I hate that green one for hurting Morro... but I don't want to hurt them. I don't want to be forced to hurt them, though."

The archer ran his fingers through her hair, in a soothing attempt to calm her. "It's alright. You're here. With me. We're safe."

The banshee ghost nodded slowly, slowly relaxing all the tension she didn't realize she had. Soul Archer smiled, as he pulled away to face her and tilt up her chin. "I love you, my songbird."

Bansha smiled, as their fingers intertwined. "I love you too."

And they kissed.


	3. A Start

**Warning: past cutting, minor depression. Morro/Lloyd friendship.**

* * *

Hated.

Alone.

Unwanted.

The only words that ran through his head. The only words that were true.

* * *

 _Morro groaned as his eyes fluttered open. The first thing he felt was he was wet._

 _Wait... what?_

 _Pushing himself up on the dock, he examined one hand. Completely human, and soaked to the core. He shivered, he was human now._

 _"So glad you didn't die along with that beast," a sarcastic voice said. Morro looked up to see Kai glaring at him._

 _He coughed suddenly, trying to get out the excess water from his system. Kai only glared as his coughing increased to choking, water blocking his new lungs. He heaved out water, gagging as everything started to hurt. "H-help," he cried out weakly._

 _"No one's going to help you," Jay said, appearing in his line of vision. Morro's head shot up as he choked out more water._

 _A hand rested on his back gently, and Morro turned to see Sensei staring at him with an expressionless face. Morro waited for it. "What you did was unacceptable. None of my pupils would do such a thing."_

 _Morro's eyes glazed as he threw Sensei's hand off him, getting up and somehow running away._

* * *

And this was where he was now. Still skinny enough to see his ribs, but yet he couldn't starve.

There was still water in his system that he'd choke on. A permanent reminder of what he—The Preeminent—did. It was still his enemy, soaking him to the core and making him shiver from the cold.

He was on his own again.

The mere thought set him in another fit of coughs, tears trailing down his cheeks. The Preeminent _controlled_ him. Forced him to do her bidding. If he resisted, she mentally tortured him. It still hurt, and no one wanted to help.

He buried his face in his knees, tears streaming down his face. _I'm just a kid,_ he thought bitterly, _why does everyone want to hurt me?_

"Hey there." Morro looked up to see crimson eyes and blond hair. Lloyd. He tried to back up, to get away from the green ninja, but no avail. Lloyd dropped to his knees to meet the wind master at eye level. "It's okay, I won't hurt you."

Morro coughed some more, before speaking for the first time in months. "I can't trust you." He realized without the Preeminent straining his voice, (which didn't hurt because he was a ghost) it was soft and airy.

Lloyd gave a small smile. "I know, but I also know I was in your head, as you were mine, and I could sense _her_ controlling you. I also saw your past..." he gripped Morro's hand, rolling up the sleeve to see the little white scars Morro had prayed disappeared, but they were still there and clean as day.

Morro trembled as his ripped his arm out of Lloyd's grasp and pulled the sleeve up. "They hate me for hurting you. I can't go back. Kai would most likely try to kill me again." He started into another coughing fit as water came up, and Lloyd raised an eyebrow.

"I also know choking up the water from nearly a year ago isn't normal. I've been looking for you, come on, I'm sure they'll help," he gestured to where Morro's tattered clothes were hanging off him, "and get you something to eat."

Morro followed him slowly, a half-smile of his own forming on his face. Maybe the ninja would still call him an outcast. Maybe his Sensei wouldn't take him back. Maybe he'd have to earn their trust. But Lloyd trusted him.

So it was a start.


	4. Potstickers

**Warning: eating disorder, mentions of suicide.**

* * *

"Deep stone bars, you're never getting out of here!" Nya stayed, glaring at Ghoul Tar. "Now tell us, what's in the Tomb that's so important?"

"What does Morro want?" Sensei Wu asked.

"Ghoul Tar never talk," the ghost replied, averting his gaze. "Oops, Ghoul Tar talked." He mentally beat himself. Another bad thing. Why does he always say the wrong things? Bansha, Soul Archer, and Wrayth always told him to be quiet, so he did most of the time. "Ghoul Tar won't talk from now on."

Ronin growled, as Ghoul Tar flinched. They're mad. They hate him. They're gonna, he pushed the thoughts aside. "Oh I'll get him talking."

"No Ronin, we must find another way to get answers out of him," Wu replied. Ghoul Tar thanked him silently to know he wasn't going to be tortured more than he was.

He watched them leave, sighing with relief. He wouldn't have to talk, or anything. He'd still be able to be useful.

* * *

They came back, and Ghoul Tar turned away. They weren't going to get to him.

"Still won't talk, eh?" Wu asked. Ghoul Tar didn't listen until he heard the words that stung.

"Puffy potstickers?" Misako asked.

Ghoul Tar turned. No, not those things. He opened his mouth to say the words he regretted. "Grant not hungry. Stop offering food!" He realized he slipped with the name. His eyes started to glaze as Misako, Ronin, and Wu looked surprised.

"Grant?" Wu asked carefully.

 _You worthless boy!_ Screeched The Preeminent in his head. _I am done with you! You idiotic useless child!_

"Sorry..." Ghoul Tar whispered, as he experienced more pain than he had ever felt. He crumbled to the floor, clutching his head as he felt his cover melting away, back to how he looked when he died. A twelve-year-old boy with blond hair and brown eyes, skinny as could be, you could even see his rib cage.

Grant remember some of the higher intelligence words the others used, and one that stuck out. He looked up at the humans, who had a shocked expression as his thin fingers gripped the cage. "I'm not eating your stupid food."

Misako seemed to be the first to recover. "I... I don't understand..."

Grant started to cry. Translucent green tears trailed down his face, thankfully providing no pain. "We're just children," he whispered, hugging himself. The words felt so different to him, but they were the right ones. "Just children that couldn't take the pain anymore. Wyatt choked himself with a chain. Seth pierced an arrow through his heart. Bailey broke a bottle with her voice and slit her wrists. Morro killed himself in the Caves, and..." he couldn't continue.

He stared at the plate of potstickers in front of him. "I'm not hungry," he murmured, tears falling freely. He remembered a word that Bansha, _Bailey,_ once said. Grant looked up. "I'm anorexic."

Even Ronin seemed to soften up, as Misako hesitantly opened the cage with the keys. Grant only sat there. "I can't... go anywhere," he stated. " _She_ got rid of me, I can't just walk around."

Nya's facial expression turned to pity. Grant looked away. He couldn't go anywhere. He was useless. He was still a ghost, having the water weakness and just worthless. He couldn't help.

"We're going to help you, okay?" Wu said. "You and your friends." Grant looked at the elder man with disbelief. Why would they help him? After everything he's done?

"Bailey, Seth, Wyatt? Who the heck are they?" Ronin asked.

Grant smiled. "She always made us remember our past names by keeping the first letter. Bailey is Bansha, Seth is Soul Archer, and Wyatt, Wrayth."

"Are all the ghosts children that... you know?" Misako asked hesitantly.

Grant shook his head. "They're adults. It's only us." He slowly trembled as he stood up, not having a tail anymore and smaller. He felt so weak and vulnerable.

The boy sat down in the chair, staring at the grains of wood in the table. He couldn't believe they were going to help him. Not only that, but help his friends too.

Nya picked up the tray of potstickers, holding it out to Grant. "It isn't gonna change how you look, Grant. Just take one."

The ghost looked at it carefully. "I'm not..." Nya inched it closer to him, daring him to finish his sentence. He slowly took one, nibbling it.

"Thanks."


	5. Miss You

**Minor language. Season 5 Alternate ending. Minor dark moments.**

* * *

Ronin watched as the Preeminent was falling in the water, taking all the ghosts with her.

 _"Look what I found!" A child squealed, running to a middle aged man with a stone arrowhead. It was a dark black color a streak of silver-white around the base. "It's pretty," the young boy turned it over, before the man slowly took it from him._

 _"And sharp."_

Ronin stared, as he saw them one-by-one, the ghosts, drowning and dying in the water. They were ones he didn't know. Wail, Woo, Howla, whatever their names were. He didn't care.

There was only one ghost that he cared for.

 _The boy smiled a goofy smile, showing one of his front teeth missing, his red hair had a small streak of green in it, but the man tried not to notice as the child played around. He turned back to the elder. "Is my sissy gonna be okay?"_

 _The man gave a sad smile. "I'm not sure." He didn't want to lie to the child, but it hurt to tell the truth. The child began to sniff, as the man bent down, hugging him. "Hey, it's gonna be alright."_

Ronin gripped the railing of the boat tighter, fighting back tears in his good eye. 'Dammit, suck it up already, he's gone, he's dead, get over it!' He growled to himself.

Wu seemed to notice. 'Leave me alone old man!' Ronin shouted at him mentally. Wu seemed like he was about to say something, before he spotted Morro and created his dragon to save the ghost. 'Lucky. You get a dragon and can save him, what do I get?'

He watched as Wu grabbed Morro, using his creation element to make a sword and cut off the Preeminent's appendage, efficiently saving the teen.

Lucky.

* * *

Ronin turned away from the handrail when Morro approached him. The Preeminent was gone, thus making Morro less greenish and innocent. The green streak in his hair was gone. "I'm sorry about him," he muttered, looking out. "I tried to find them, but she caught me. I don't know if she took them."

"It's nothing kid. All that's important right now is we get off this goddamn thing and onto dry land."

Morro blinked slowly. "Okay... are you sure?"

Ronin laughed. "I've spent ten years alone, I think I'm good." He watched as the ninja were talking about whatever. Nya finally used her abilities to push the boat back to mainland. The steamboat creaked and groaned after the battle, threating to rip but kept steady as it breached the sand.

The pawn shop owner let the others get off, watching the wreckage out in sea slowly sink to the bottom. He turned his head and walked off the ship, seeing the ninjas' glares. Riiiiiiight... they didn't like him very much anymore. Every since the whole stealing the sword thing, he was basically a traitor. Ronin passed by them, not listening to Nya or anyone else as they began to yell at him for what he did.

"I have my reasons," Ronin answered them, refusing to meet eye contact. Morro was residing next to Wu, looking like a lost child. Ronin's neutral expression turned downward. "You aren't the only one that lost someone to _her,_ old man." He began to walk away, back, back to his pawn shop to shut himself out of the world.

 _"Where do I put this?" An eleven year old child asked, lifting up a box of jewelry._

 _The older man smiled at him. "The jewelry section is over there," he pointed to a shelf, where the preteen hauled it, with a bit of trouble, and placed it on a lower shelf. "You sure you got it?"_

 _"Yup."_

 _"I trust you."_

Ronin bit back the memories that rose. He would not let the ninja or anyone see his weak side. The pawn shop wasn't a complete wreck, but it was bad. Things were strewn everywhere. He had a bit of cleaning to do, but it would be something to get his mind off of everything.

"Need help?" Ronin faced the ninja, of which Nya offered a sympathetic smile. "Least we can do."

"Fine," He muttered softly, "might need some extra hands." He gestured to the signs above the (mostly standing) shelves. "That's the labels for everything. And if you find anything that's yours, I didn't steal it. They were either discarded or sold here. You can take it back." The ninja looked at him bewildered, as Ronin shrugged. "It's a fair deal."

"That's definitely not the Ronin we know," Kai snickered, elbowed by Jay and immediately shut up. "Ohhh... was one of your boyfriends a ghost? Soul Archer?" Ronin flinched at the name.

"Shut up," He said grimly, gritting his teeth as he placed another object in its place. "I have never had romantic interests in any person, alright? So don't ask anymore questions or I'll kick you out."

Morro bit his lip and looked away. "I'm sorry," he repeated again. Lloyd looked at him with question.

"You know, don't you?"

"I know a lot of things, would you mind being more specific?" The Wind elemental asked, eyes narrowing. Ronin watched with relief how Morro easily dodged all of the ninja's questions. "You probably don't want to look to _me_ for answers, I'm not a reliable source," he added.

Ronin grumbled as the ninja kept pestering him. "No wonder you get found so easily, you won't stop talking. Less ninja and more celebrities."

Morro grinned. "Exactly!" Kai shot him a glare, and he shrugged. "What? All you do is talk! Especially him!" He jabbed a thumb at Jay, who began to protest.

"Well, I guess you're right," Cole stated. He looked at the spirit, crossing his arms. "And how come you're not greenish anymore, and what happened to the streak in your hair?"

Morro gulped. "Um... about that... it's a long story. Um, so the Cursed Realm is where the cursed ghosts go, the ones that either bargained with her or... killed themselves. She wanted me, and the green streak basically says I 'belong' to her. Anyway, the whole Caves of Despair wasn't and accident, if you know what I mean. And um, she's gone so yeah."

"Okay... so all the ghosts either made a deal with the devil or committed suicide, great," Kai commented. "Is that what's bothering you?" He made a lovey face. "Poor Soul Archie killed himself huh?"

Ronin growled and gripped the box. "Stop it. He made a deal to save his sister because she had cancer! She was dying and guess what? After the Preeminent sealed the deal she let her die anyway! Shut your mouth already!"

The entire pawn shop was silent. The ninja continued to move boxes, until Morro spoke up softly. "We both knew Soul Archer before he died. He was a orphan like me. Ronin basically took him in like a son. Just give him some space."

Kai suddenly started laughing. "Wow, there's actually good in him!"

"Not after the incident," Morro answered, closing his eyes as the ninja faced Ronin, who was all to busy readjusting a shelf. The wind master used his ability to shape the air, making a semi-visible figure of a young boy about fifteen, with a much younger Ronin—with both eyes—beside him.

 _"Seth, be careful, that shelf has some dangerous stuff," Ronin warned to Sou—Seth. Seth nodded, moving what looked like aeroblades carefully._

 _"C'mon, I'm not eight anymore!" Seth argued, pouting and crossing his arms on the chair._

 _Ronin smirked. "No, but you're sure acting like it. Get off the chair. Already crazy enough, don't need to hit your head."_

 _Seth groaned, before clambering down and hugging Ronin, who returned the hug greatfully. "I know you're not my real dad, but I love you."_

 _Ronin only smiled, petting Seth's hair gently. "I know."_

Ronin watched the memory fade from Morro. It was the day the raven-haired boy had come to visit, watching the nothing short of adorable scene from behind the counter.

The middle-aged man glanced toward the shocked ninja. "You can go now." Their mouths clamped shut and nodded, beginning to leave.

Nya paused. "I'm sorry... for everything we thought about you." She walked toward Ronin, staring at the man. "You're just a broken man who lost his son." She shook his hand, smiling sadly before leaving.

Morro smiled softly to Ronin. "Sorry," he apologized, before walking out.

Ronin's fists clenched, restraining any feelings as he turned back to cleaning up the almost clean pawn shop.

Everything was okay before... this. Before this whole mess. He could contain his feelings, but now, why was he being so weak?

Ronin walked to the storage closet, pushing away some of the boxes until he found the small black one he was looking for.

Getting out into better lighting, he opened the lid and started at the object.

A black arrowhead with white around the base.


	6. I Can't

**Ugh, this took _forever._ Who knows where the inspiration came from? And totally up for prompts {hint hint}**

 **Warning: internal homophobia, minor anxiety attacks, self-harm, brief eating disorder.**

 **Pairing: SLASH. Greenwind.**

* * *

To Lloyd, it was just an ordinary day.

The Preeminent was _finally_ gone, after everything it had done to them (Lloyd still felt bad whenever he saw Cole's scar, even though the former ghost constantly assured him it was not his fault) and they could finally be at peace.

Wow he sounded like a ghost.

Lloyd chuckled as he hit the off button on the alarm clock, and headed down towards breakfast. The smell of fresh eggs and toast was calling his name.

"Hey there shortstop," Kai greeted immediately. There was a fond smile on his face as he ruffled the other's hair, just like when he was actually a kid.

The green ninja sat next to him with a smile, but it turned downward when Jay suddenly shouted.

"No way! Cole cooked this?!" He yelled at Zane accusingly. "I'm _not_ going to eat whatever he cooks! How in the _world_ did you let _him_ cook?! He'll poison us!"

Said teen only stared at the ground, not saying a word before Zane spoke quietly. "Nya and I both tested the food, and it is actually quite delicious."

Jay raised and eyebrow before looking at the eggs. "He didn't use whitewash instead of milk and vinegar instead of cooking oil right?" Zane shook his head, as Jay tentatively ate the food.

"Oh god, I'm sorry," he said to Cole. The Earth elemental still looked hurt. Lloyd coughed after finishing his plate. This was quite awkward, and he kinda wanted to get out of it as soon as possible.

"I think I'll go out for a bit." The four nodded, as he closed the door behind him.

* * *

Lloyd took a breath as he was out in the streets, wearing civilian clothes and easily passing as just a normal person.

He passed by a few kids running around, frowning as he saw their tattered clothes. Street kids. He took in a breath. _Just... calm down. Breathe. Count backward from ten like Kai told you._

 _Ten._

 _Nine._

 _Eight._

 _Seven._

 _Six._

His breath only went faster. Street kids. Orphans. Morro. Morro. Morro. _Morro. Morro. **Morro. MORRO...**_

"Whoa... calm down..."

That voice... _that voice._ Lloyd was hyperventilating, he couldn't draw in enough air.

"Oh god—LLOYD!" The green ninja saw Kai running up to him. Did he follow Lloyd?! Was he stalking him in case something like this happened? Kai pulled the other into an alleyway so they didn't attract any attention. "Okay, okay, calm down, here," he placed Lloyd's hand to his own chest, taking exaggerated slow breaths. "Follow my breathing, okay?" The fire elemental said.

Lloyd got his breathing back to normal, looking at his best friend. "I heard _him,_ " he whispered quietly. Kai was about to open his mouth and speak—

"Well, that's because I'm here," an airy but slightly raspy voice said. Lloyd turned and saw _him._

Morro stood there (how dare he stand in the presence of the green ninja after all he did?!) giving a weak smile. Lloyd realized the wind elemental wasn't looking directly into his eyes. Good. Like he deserved to do such.

"Morro," Kai's teeth gritted.

Lloyd took a slow breath, releasing his grip on Kai and moving towards Morro. The teen flinched and took a step back when Lloyd tried to touch his shoulder, to see if he was _real._

"I can't touch you," he said immediately.

Not "don't touch me" or "keep your hands off me."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "Is this some "Hotarubi no Mori e" thing?"

The former ghost looked at him blankly, as Kai sighed and shrugged. "Whatever," he muttered, shooting a fireball at the male before making a break for it. He looked over his side to see Lloyd staying there. "Lloyd! Come on!"

The blond payed no attention, as he looked at Morro. "Hey... I just... I guess I wanted to say... I'm sorry."

Morro took a quick glance up at Lloyd, before instantly curling up and scraping his nails along his skin to draw blood. "Bad!" He scolded himself. "You piece of dirt!" Lloyd watched as Morro continued to abuse himself, even throwing in some choice words.

"Why are you so bad?" Lloyd asked softly, crouching down to meet him. Morro flinched again, digging his nails in deeper.

"I'm bad. I'm terrible. I'm _tainted_ ," Morro whispered. Lloyd looked at his arms, covered with scars. Blood caked his shirt and pants. He wasn't in a good condition.

"I don't understand." There was a bad feeling in his gut. No, not the _I'm next to my enemy_ feeling. Something else. He took out his phone and dialed Nya's number. She'd take it the best.

 _"Hey? Lloyd?"_

"Hey," Lloyd gulped, standing up. "Um... we sorta gotta problem? It would be best to explain in person. Can you come to my location? Please? And uh, civilian clothes, no ruckus." He already knew about the tracker all the ninja wore in case someone got kidnapped, plus Lloyd didn't really know exactly where he was.

 _"Sure thing—oh Kai just got here. Wait a minute..."_ there was silence on the phone. _"Lloyd... are you... with Morro?"_

"Um... can you just come, please?" He asked again, then shutting it off.

It took exactly five minutes for the ninja to get there. Lloyd could see the weapons hidden in their clothes, ready to attack. What they didn't expect was Lloyd next to Morro—who was crying?

"We should help him. He doesn't look like he's going to attack. He's hurt. Really badly," Lloyd added. The five looked between each other worriedly, but decided if Lloyd could handle it, so could they.

"I think Wu would be pretty happy to see him again," Kai offered. He and Cole immediately lifted the thin teen into the car, and Morro pressed himself against the door when Lloyd sat next to him.

"I can't touch you. Don't touch me," he muttered, hugging himself, before he gave up and leaned against the window, closing his eyes. Lloyd just gave him a look as they sped back to the docked _Bounty._

* * *

Morro was unconscious when they got back, so Nya and Zane did the best they could to clean him up. Nya used her girl expertise to clip Morro's horror-movie nails so he couldn't harm himself, wrapping his arms as well. Zane hooked him up to an I.V. to get some kind of nutrition in him.

"He doesn't appear to have many physical injuries other than the marks on his arm, but his glucose levels are very low, as he's malnourished and underweight," Zane informed. "In other words, he needs to have some food in him."

"How much does he weigh?" Cole suddenly asked, appearing.

Zane clicked his tongue. "One hundred and eight, exactly."

"One hundred and eight pounds?!" Nya exclaimed. Zane nodded sadly to her. "How the hell is he still alive?!"

"Can't die, idiots." Everyone looked as Morro woke up slowly, eyes fluttering open as he groaned. The way too light teen shifted on the bed. "Turn off that light, it's blinding. The Cursed Realm is pretty dark ya know."

Kai crossed his arms. "How come you're not in the Departed Realm?"

"For me to know and you to find out," Morro replied, decidingly getting up and ripping out the I.V. tube Zane had inserted in his arm. The nindriod tried to say something, but Morro merely walked past, grabbing a bandage to cover it. "Well, thanks for the new clothes, really appreciate it. Seeya."

Lloyd blinked. Was Morro seriously being...

"A jerk?" Kai finished his thought. "Jeez, at least that's sorta better than the whiny kid."

"But, earlier..." Lloyd was absolutely stumped. What the heck was going on?

"Anyway, we trapped him in, he ain't getting outta here," Cole smirked, giving Jay a high five.

There was a sudden groan as Morro wandered back in, crossing his arms. "Mind to tell me why you ninja have electric fences for doors? I've been zapped at least three times now and it hurts."

Lloyd took the opportunity to grab Morro's wrist and take off the bandage. The pain didn't even faze him, as Morro looked up, tears glistening his eyes. "I've tainted you, I'm so sorry..." he whispered. His head hung. "Punish me." The other didn't say anything, but was mildly concerned, so he washed his hands, satisfying Morro.

The entire team seemed to soften. "Okay, Hey, Morro eat this," Lloyd said, handing him something Nya had whipped up in the kitchen.

Morro flinched and backed away. "No I... I can't eat that. J-just... leave me alone," he turned and fled the scene, leaving everyone puzzled.

* * *

The next few days went nearly the same. Morro acting like a jerk before Lloyd got close to him, in which he would shrink back and avoid anyone's touch.

He wasn't eating, which was concerning Zane.

"Is he suffering from anorexia? It appears he hasn't eaten anything but a protein bar today," the nindriod observed, "his spine and ribs are visible. And his weight has dropped to one hundred and six pounds and five ounces."

Morro rolled his eyes and looked at Zane. "I already told you, ever since reviving I get this immortal gold card."

"There's a but there," Jay added, but Morro deliberately ignored him, cleaning up the meals with—plastic gloves?

"Anorexic and germaphobic," Nya decided, whispering so Morro couldn't hear.

Lloyd sighed, looking over to the raven-haired. He caught Morro looking at him, before turning away and hitting himself. "I don't think that's it. There's something else going on."

Suddenly, Morro let out a shriek of pain and his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he collapsed. Cole caught him, thankfully close enough as he hoisted the other to the medbay, and onto the cot. Zane put in an I.V. as Nya added some pain medication in the bag.

They were lucky it only took an hour before Morro woke up again. He was still drowsy and blinked slowly before looking at the ninja. "Wha...?" He asked blearily.

"You might feel a little weird and not remember some of this, okay? But you passed out," Jay informed.

"'M'kay," Morro closed his eyes before taking a slow breath, then looked at Lloyd. "'M sorr'. Didn' mean too." His pronunciation was terrible and his "t"s were soft, but he was drugged, so what could they expect?

Lloyd looked at the others, motioning for them to leave. "Are you sorry for possessing me? It's fine, you were basically controlled by the Preeminent."

Morro shook his head, regretting it the second it throbbed. "Sorr' for bein' s-so dirty," he drew out. "Mus be...disgustin' ta be aroun' me." Tears were evident in his eyes again. He tried to slap himself again, or to make marks on his arm before Lloyd stopped him.

"I don't understand. Why are you doing this to yourself."

The teen gave a soft sigh, feeling a bit of the drowsiness go away. He looked at Lloyd. "'Cause you're so _beautiful._ "

Lloyd was flustered. _Wait, what?_ Out of all the answers he mentally prepared himself for, this was so not one of them.

"You're so pretty... an...and perfect, and I haveta remind myself that thinking you're beautiful is bad, 'cause we're enemies and more importantly I'm a boy and so are you. I can't hurt you, can't _taint_ you. I can't. Haveta remind myself liking boys is bad, that's what the kids always said anyway... I'm disgusting. Ugly," he used the fa word the made Lloyd flinch. "And-and you're the green ninja, so you deserve a perfect girlfriend and all and I'm just so _dirty_ I can't..." Morro was crying at this point, clearly upset of what he had just revealed to Lloyd.

"Hey, Shh..." Lloyd tried.

"N-no! The ninja, what if they heard?! They're gonna throw me out...well, I deserve it...why?" Morro started to yell at himself, and the ninja rushed in. Zane froze when Morro yelled that word again at himself, not caring who hear. "Just get rid of me already...please."

"Internalized homophobia," the ice elemental recited. Zane looked sadly at Morro, the poor guy.

Kai's fists clenched immediately making the connection. "You IDIOT WORTHLESS JERK! HOW DARE YOU! YOU THINK THE GREEN NINJA WOULD EVER RETURN YOUR FEELINGS AFTER WHAT YOU DID?! YOU _ARE_ DIRTY AND DISGUSTING IF YOU THINK THAT YOU CAN JUST LIKE LLOYD!"

The air around them grew cold as Morro stared at the wall, trying to make himself invisible but remembering he couldn't. "I know that..." he said miserably. "I'm... I'm trying to get rid of _them_... but they just won't go away."

"You can't just get rid of feelings," Cole spoke quietly.

Jay sighed. "Well this is awkward." He dragged the ninja out of the room quickly, leaving Lloyd and Morro alone.

Morro closed his eyes. "Just say it already. 'I hate you.' Whatever. Get it over with and done."

"I..I..I..." Lloyd tried. He didn't want to say he hated Morro, the poor guy had gone through enough. _I don't like you back_ , but the words were stuck in his throat. He _needed to say them,_ but his brain wouldn't let him. "I...can't... I can't say that to you."

"It's alright, you should just get it off your chest and I won't ever be a bother to you again. Heck, you can just let me leave and I'll never see you again, promise." Lloyd hated how broken and self-loathing Moro looked.

 _Why? Why are you feeling this way? He's you're enemy!_

Lloyd's fists clenched, and immediately Morro covered his face with an arm, awaiting the immense pain that would follow with the hit. The blond released his tension, prying Morro's arm away from his face. Tears were evident in the other's eyes, running down his face.

"Never, in my life, had I truly hated a person. Never had I wanted to hurt them," he said softly.

Morro hiccuped. "I...can't..."

"I don't care what the kids on the street or anyone else said about you Morro. Liking guys isn't a crime, it's just being human, okay? Nobody's going to judge you. Kai's my best friend and pretty protective, he's just being the normal hothead he is." Morro gave a weak laugh, before Lloyd smiled. "And by the way, I don't even like girls. Never had the greatest experience with them. Gee, I was raised with other boys at Darkley's and then stuffed on a ship with four—well—technically three other hormonal guys," his voice dropped lower, "I swear Cole and Jay were together for about a month with how close they were."

"S-so you're like me?" Morro asked quietly.

Lloyd gave a half-smile and nodded. "I figured it out when I had a crush on one of the boys at Darkley's, Brad, but yeah. My mom was never really in my life, I barely knew anything about girls, so..."

That was all it took for Morro to reach over and kiss him.

The contact was quick, and in a blink it was gone. Morro fumbled with the sheets nervously, avoiding Lloyd's gaze. "Sorry...I just thought at least...you wouldn't be completely disgusted by me."

"Hey...look...I'm not quite sure about my feelings for you, give me some time to work stuff out, but meanwhile," Lloyd reached over and kissed Morro quickly again, "I kinda like that."

Morro blinked. "But I..."

Lloyd smiled, taking Morro's hand softly.

"You can."

* * *

 **Needed to write Greenwind, it was killing me.**

 **And yes, if you didn't blink you saw bits of Bruise and Forgiven in the end there. I shipped Forgiven so hard until Morro came along and decided to fight his way tooth and claw up to being my favorite Ninjago character.**


	7. Feel The Light

**Inspired by the _Home_ song with the same name.**

 **Warning: minor references to death. Angst at first, then the fluff.**

* * *

Day of the Departed.

One of the days Morro loathed.

Even as he stood now, in the Departed Realm, it wasn't any better. Every time, it was the same. He was forgotten.

No one ever remembered him.

As it begun, he knew how the souls were joyous. They would forget any arguments and spend time with one another, families and lovers reunited, eating and throwing parties.

But that wasn't even the best part.

When darkness began to fall in the mortal world, lanterns began to fly, and fly to where? The Departed Realm of course. They carried not a message or a memory, but a feeling of happiness and love that filled a hole in each spirits heart. Most stacked them up in their house, unashamed to show them off as they could not be stolen.

It was like being given a hug, someone had explained, a warm hug from someone you care about. You can keep the lantern and feel that warm, safe hug whenever you're down.

Morro had never gotten a lantern. In the ten years he had spent dead, he was forgotten.

He didn't really care, because Wu had forgotten about him. No one really cared for him.

Bansha was the first to approach him, followed by Wrayth who wore a cheeky grin, the Ghoul Tar and Soul Archer in tow behind.

"Hey," Morro muttered, not looking up.

"Hello," Bansha said softly, brushing a strand of dark hair behind her ear as she scooped him up in a gentle hug. "We thought you'd like some company today."

Morro shrugged. "Sure, whatever."

Soul Archer was about done. "Look, we know you don't like the holidays but we're staying here and you can't tell us no."

Wrayth agreed, crossing his arms. "We do care about you, don't you forget it ya little Grinch."

The wind elemental snorted. "Really? I'm a Grinch?"

Ghoul Tar grumbled. "Yes."

Morro crossed his arms angrily, scraping his nails against the park bench. "Well, I guess you're not wrong. I'll be going home. Bye." Bansha grabbed his arm, giving him a look. "What do you want? For me to torturously watch you all get lanterns as I remain forgotten by everyone? No thanks."

"Morro..." Bansha pleaded. "You can't lock yourself away all the time. It's not doing you any good."

"What am I supposed to do? Cry like a baby in front of everyone?" Morro yanked his arm from Bansha's grasp, about to go home, when he heard a voice.

"It's starting!" Someone yelled.

He looked back at his friends. "Hey, why don't we at least watch?" Wrayth pleaded. "It's our first time in the Departed Realm. It's probably a lot different."

The spirit was right, though. Ghosts in the Cursed Realm only got their lanterns and moved on, souls here actually celebrated the thing.

Morro stubbornly crossed his arms and glared, finally giving in as he stood by the others.

What happened amazed them.

The large tree in the center of the park began to glow, its long branches curving into hooks. A lantern began to manifest on the end of the branch, then two, then three. Spirits would grab theirs and move away.

Morro watched as it began to thin out, utterly fascinated by the scene, and souls receiving their lanterns. Bansha and Ghoul Tar each got one from their parents, Wrayth from an uncle he forgot he had. The wind elemental looked to see Soul Archer holding one close, a soft smile on his face. Huh. Probably from Ronin.

 _It's beautiful, but at the same time just another Day of the Departed._ Morro scoffed and approached the tree. _Forgot me again, old man, huh? Just as I suspected._

He looked at the lanterns remaining, souls quickly gathering them up. How in the world did they know which one was theirs?

Soon, only one remained on the tree, its flickering yellow light (the ones in the Cursed Realm were green, odd) never ceasing. Morro felt drawn to it, wanting to grab it. _Stop, you'll ruin it. It's not yours, Morro, and you know better. Just because you don't get one doesn't mean you should attempt to steal another's._

"Morro, it's yours, take it," Wrayth said, looking up.

The wind elemental scoffed, crossing his arms. "No it's not, I haven't gotten one in ten years, why would I get one now?"

"Maybe it's because of what you did last year? The whole yin-yang eclipse thing?" Bansha reminded him.

The teen looked back at the lantern, then around the park. There was no one near the tree except him. Morro blinked, before reaching for the lantern slowly and plucking it off the branch.

The tree immediately stopped glowing, and the branches returned to normal.

 _Is it really mine? No... that's impossible..._

Morro gingerly held the red-and-yellow lantern, pulling it closer to his chest. Immediately, he felt a warm sensation, something he hadn't felt in a decade. It was like when he was eight again, and Sensei was holding him, embracing him lovingly, in a way only a father could.

 _Sensei...you sent this to me?_

Morro felt tears prick at his eyes. Ghosts were too strong to cry tears of sadness, but tears of joy? Those came like a river.

He felt Bansha hugging him, Wrayth, Ghoul Tar, and Soul Archer joining. "I have a lantern," he whispered, "he remember me."

 _He remembered me._

* * *

Sensei Wu watched the ninja arguing, sitting on the bench at the old temple. Cole had already finished his story, Jay stubbornly refusing that he was afraid of ghosts.

He held the lantern gently in his hands, as the others began to lift theirs. Sensei Wu watched as they floated up to the sky, his own adding to them.

They twirled it the air as the wind gave a small breeze, and Sensei finally, for the first time in what felt like eternity, smiled.

 _Happy Day of the Departed, Morro._


	8. Hatred is Fueled By Many Things

Everything was fine. For once in a lifetime, there was no threats, no criminals, no press.

Morro smiled lightly. There was no more Preeminent controlling and watching his every move, no more stupid Sky Pirates trying and failing to destroy this world. No more stupid time twins whatever their deal was. No more people trying to kill _him_ , one of the last remaining ghosts. He stared at his own half-ghost form with the scar tracing his collarbone. The green skin there shimmered tauntingly, as if a reminder that he wasn't quite human (or how much pain it caused him when water spilled on it. He had no idea how Cole handled it.)

Morro sipped his tea, watching as most of the other ninja stared at him with utter hatred. Right. He averted his eyes away from their burning gaze as he turned to the window of the Bounty, watching them sailing over Ninjago.

He slowly finished the steaming cup and went for the kettle to pour another cup. It was a nice flavor to wake up with, unlike the chamomile tea which would help him calm down after the oh so many nightmares.

He felt eyes glued to him as he did the action, he sighed and turned around seeing the others _still_ staring at him. "Way to make me feel comfortable," he muttered, loud enough so they could hear him. He leaned against the countertop, blowing a breeze of wind to cool down the tea so it wouldn't scald his throat.

He watched as Kai burst.

"How _old_ are you? Who drinks tea in the morning anymore?! Don't you know _coffee_ wakes you up?!"

Morro giggled into his palm, watching as they began to fight over the situation.

Lloyd groaned, face-planting into the table. "Well who drinks coffee either? It's terrible for you and not to mention it tastes terrible!"

Jay turned on him. "Who's side are you on?!"

"Not yours obviously! Coffee is terrible! Orange juice is way better!"

"Yeah, because you're still a kid and actually obey rules now," Kai smirked.

Cole shrugged. "Hey, well Lloyd is right."

"You're only agreeing ever since you began that diet Cole," Zane pointed out.

The black ninja raised his arms. "Oh now you got a _nindriod_ fighting with you, great!"

Kai stared at him. "He is right, you health-freak evil twin. We legit thought that someone was messing with us when you said you didn't want _cake?_ What Cole hates _cake?_ "

Morro was trying to hold everything in but it was amusing. They call themselves ninja but yet they fight over everything and talk every chance they get? Humph, at least he was smart enough to conceal his identity. No one knew who the grey ninja was and he intended to keep it that way, no matter how many doubts came across.

He returned his poker face and watched the argument. Maybe it would last for twenty minutes, if he was lucky.

Morro finished his second cup of tea and took out his phone, getting absorbed back into it because heck he'd had a year to learn fifty's worth of knowledge. He absentmindedly scrolled through social media, looking at every chirp the ninja let out and the fangirl's responses. (Un)surprisingly, he had not once let out a peep to these savage beasts, even though they were desperate to know who he was. Hah, like that was happening.

Morro looked up to see the others blinking at him owlishly. He checked the time. "Wow, fifteen minutes guys, I'm really disappointed. I would've thought you'd last half an hour. Tsk, maybe I'll try to set you off more often."

The others gaped at him as Morro smirked. "Seriously, can't I have a little fun once in awhile? No, okay, guess I'll go destroy the world," he began to walk towards the door, but not before hearing the ninja drawing weapons. "Well that's upsetting. A whole year and the second I let out a joke you're ready to kill me?" He clicked his tongue, just _loving_ the looks on everyone's faces.

Lloyd's eyes narrowed. "You need to stop pushing it."

The wind elemtal only gave him an innocent smile. "Now, I'm going to have a third cup of tea if you don't mind. Though it would taste nice iced I would rather finish it now."

Kai gave everyone a look that clearly meant why the hell is he on our team.

* * *

 **Idk I wanted to write about Morro drinking tea (because sadly he's really old canonical) and everyone just losing it.**


	9. Demons

**Idk here.** **Warnings: abuse, mentions of prostitution, death... ya know, _me._ Stay safe.**

* * *

Possession was an odd thing. Just sitting there, having to try everything in your power to _do nothing._ Because, if you tried to take control, that other person would make you weak, use the body they are possessing—your body—and drain your strength.

And then there was the mental parts. You could feel something probing through your head, but no matter what, you couldn't _get it out._

That was the situation Lloyd was in. Currently, the ghosts were having some downtime before they went to FSM's Tomb, and that bastard was just shifting through memories like it was clothing.

Lloyd groaned and tried to make him stop, only feeling nauseous and stopping immediately. Morro chuckled and continued picking out every memory.

The ghost smiled as he looked at a memory of Lloyd at Darkley's. _Well well, green boy was once trying to be evil? That's priceless! You're too good for that._

Was that a compliment? Lloyd wasn't sure, but Morro only continued his violation.

 _Ohh look at this, all these thoughts of Kai, I suppose you have something for him huh?_

 _Shut up,_ Lloyd whimpered weakly.

Morro chuckled and smirked, staring amusingly at the memory of Lloyd fighting his father. _It's so cute, struggling to fight evil just because he birthed you? Hmm, that's sweet Lloydie!_

 _Shut up with the nicknames already,_ Lloyd grumbled.

Morro was probably smirking. _I would never Greenbean. Ohhh look at this! It's such a prominent memory and so sad!_

Lloyd gasped as he realized that it was when his father sacrificed himself. _Right when I escaped!_ Morro chuckled.

 _Get away from that!_ Lloyd yelled, making Morro lose his control for a minute. New memories flooded forth, _Morro's_ memories.

Lloyd struggled through the new wave of memories. There were so many and it seemed to drown his mind, such a mess of incoherent words and things that he didn't understand.

 _"Stop!"_ Both froze for a second as a much younger voice of Morro screamed out. _"Get away from me! Please stop! It hurts!"_

Lloyd glanced at the memory brimming, seeing a young Morro out on the streets, older kids laughing as they punched him repeatedly. One stole his belongings. _"Loser,"_ they sneered. Morro cried as he lifted his hand to his head to feel blood trickling down. He pulled himself in a fetal position, sobbing quietly as the other boys sneered.

 _"I'm sorry,"_ he whispered. The eldest put a hand to his ear, smirking.

 _"What was that?"_

 _"I'm sorry for making you mad,"_ Morro shivered. The boys laughed and gave him a few more kicks before leaving.

Morro slammed down mental walls immediately, making Lloyd wince. He could feel the panic rising from Morro, but couldn't get to his thoughts.

He tried to push at the walls. Confusion and worry swarmed him. He knew Morro had a terrible past, but he didn't know how terrible. He was only starting to realize.

 _Shut up Greenie,_ Morro snarled internally. Lloyd felt Morro leave, and Lloyd was back in his cage. He gasped at the breath knocked out of him, then up to Morro who's back was to him and fists clenched. Lloyd tried to gather his bearings and sat a little straighter, holding onto the bars for dear life.

"That wasn't something you should've seen so you better forget it before I make you," Morro gritted out. "Your parents may have abandoned you, but at least they still care."

"Then tell me," Lloyd begged. Morro turned to face him and raised an eyebrow. "We can help you. We can stop whatever is going on, you'll be okay. You'll never have to be told to do things you don't want to do."

"And why would I want that?" Morro shouted angrily, glaring at Lloyd.

Lloyd smiled weakly. "Because I saw that memory. You were alone, and scared. And you still are. I can see it. You're alone and scared because you believe nobody cares. And the Preeminent took that fear and twisted it into hatred. But it doesn't have to be that way. You could come with us, be a ninja like you always wanted. We can help you, Morro, just let me go."

"Yeah, and the second I release you you'll go running back to your precious _Kai_ and then you'll just destroy me."

Lloyd stared at him. "Maybe. But do I really look like that type of person?"

Morro pulled himself up to the cage to look at Lloyd. The Green Ninja watched as he bit his lip and for the first time emotion flashed across his face—fear?—and he frowned.

Lloyd's fingers gripped the cage tighter, just gracing across Morro's. The ghost flinched in alarm, eyes wide. "I don't trust you," he snapped.

The blond let his head drop, taking slow shuddering breaths. "Alright, fine, don't trust me then. Life your life in the Departed Realm filled with guilt after everything you did, knowing that you were given another chance and denied it."

Morro blinked carefully, staring at Lloyd like any minute he'd blast an energy ball at him. The ghost's eyes narrowed. "What do you want to know?"

"Anything you're comfortable with," Lloyd responded, staring at him with a determined look. "You know all my insecurities already."

"How come I haven't broke you yet?"

Lloyd smiled. "It takes a lot to do that."

Morro glanced around, then back to Lloyd. "I'm going to regret this, aren't I?"

"Well, you're taking one step closer to redemption."

"That is the dumbest thing I've heard come from you, which reminds me, does everyone curse so much this day and age?" Morro asked, looking somewhat surprised.

Lloyd's grin faultered. "Well I suppose if they were being forced to do things they don't want to."

Morro groaned. "Alright, I'm _totally_ going to regret this," he muttered, before falling into Lloyd's body.

Lloyd tensed up, before realizing that Morro wasn't trying to take control. He tried his best to calm down and not kick Morro out of his mind.

He felt Morro slowly open his wall, letting memories trickle through. They were mostly ones he knew about from Wu's stories.

 _Don't pity me or make fun of me, okay?_ Morro asked, and for once Lloyd actually traced the fear.

The floodgates burst open, and this time Lloyd made sure to stay above it. He pulled out some deep memories, of Morro being abused or afraid, trying not to pity him like he asked.

 _"Goodnight Morro,"_ Sensei Wu said. By the looks of it, it was Morro's first time in the monastery. The lamps flickered off and immediately Morro screamed. He pulled a pillow closer and started sobbing in it. Sensei relit a lamp and moved to Morro quickly. _"Hey, shh, I'm here. No ones going to hurt you."_

Morro stared at him with teary eyes before clinging to his kimono, pulling himself closer to Wu. _"I don't like the dark. They always did things in the dark,"_ he whispered.

Lloyd bit his lip as he shifted through other memories. One he stared at made him look away. Kids on the street doing... things.

 _"Well, you didn't whine this time, I'm surprised,"_ the boy snickered. He threw an apple and a carton of greasy _something_ at Morro, who caught them, and stopped crying. He looked up at the older. _"Don't cry next time and we might get you a meal."_

Morro nodded frantically as he fixed his tattered clothes, fishing out a napkin from his pack and wiping off the grease and eating.

 _You did that?_ Lloyd asked.

 _Like I said don't pity me. I don't need it,_ Morro snarled. _You've seen enough._

 _Did they do that in the Cursed Realm?_

Morro phased out of Lloyd, making him shiver. "You can't help me anyway. I'm already too broken."

Lloyd blinked away any stray tears. "Why?"

"Because they liked to have power," Morro responded. They were like a gang and promised food to make sure anyone stayed beneath them. I rebelled because I always had a temper. Never got me anywhere." He pulled his shirt up and Lloyd saw scars on the ghostly green skin. "Guess it doesn't go away when you die."

"I know how you feel. My parents left and I was stuck at Darkley's. The boys always made fun of me and..."

"I don't care about your sob story," Morro snapped, "everyone always makes a conversation about themselves now, don't they? They're so self-absorbed and they don't even know it! It's disgusting!"

Lloyd shut his mouth. Morro turned back to the Sword and the map. "We're going to leave in a couple hours. Get some rest or else you'll be too tired." Lloyd looked down to see a plate of food. He was _starving._ "I need you to be strong enough for the journey there."

"Listen, I'm sor-"

"Shut it, eat and get rest. I don't need you bothering me."

Morro turned and left. Lloyd sat in the cage, picking up the tray. _I'm so sorry._


	10. Silver Threads

A/N: another story idea I didn't get around to finishing for a Movie!Season 5/Morroyd.

Warning: bullying, some cursing because it's Morro.

* * *

"Hey loser!"

Lloyd sighed as he felt hundreds of stares into his back. They would never see past this. The way that his father took, everyone expected him to go the same. He heard people talking, some swore that his eyes turned red while others saw him punch a wall.

He hated high school, to be honest. If only he could have lived on the Bounty or in a monastery with Sensei Wu.

But yet, his mother Misako, or Koko for short, had decided to make him go to school.

They say in highschool you aren't judged, that they ease on sticking labels to everything.

Boy are they wrong.

High School is hell, to put it lightly, and Lloyd wasn't one to curse.

It didn't help that your father was an evil overlord trying to destroy the world. Honestly, if only he had a normal family.

That would be nice. His father normal, he'd probably be a sensei, just like Uncle Wu. He wouldn't like to fight, and he'd glue their broken family back together.

Yeah right, like that would happen.

Lloyd cleared away his locker filled with notes and pictures, grabbing his binder and double-checking everything was there. No one had figured out his combination, thank The First Spinjitzu Master, only slipping the notes through the crack.

He silently walked to first period, eyes brightening a bit as Kai appeared. He was one of the five others at school that didn't think he was the plague.

Him, Cole, Jay, Zane, and Nya were the only ones that didn't hate his guts. And Lloyd had spent all of elementary school and half of junior high just to be able to talk to them like a normal person.

"Kai, hey," Lloyd said quietly. Kai turned to face the younger, giving a small smile.

"Hey."

Lloyd kept his head down as they walked to class, still that part of him wanting to just curl up in a corner somewhere.

The door opened creakily, making everyone in class already pause to stare at him. Lloyd bit his lip. Don't you dare cry now. He steeled himself to his seat, watching how everyone unconsciously moved away.

At least Chen wasn't in this class, he had so much fun just making sure Lloyd had the worst life ever.

Though most of these kids weren't any better. Lloyd shivered. One of the girls was even from the cheerleading squad. Lloyd took a breath, before opening his binder with his homework.

"Hey, you heard we're getting a new kid?" Someone whispered.

"Yeah, the rumors are they're really scary."

"I heard they can't tell if they're a boy or girl."

Lloyd tuned out, those were stupid rumors, like the ones running about him. Half of them were dumb and extremely incorrect.

"Class, I'd like to introduce you to our new student," Mrs. Laudita said.

Everyone's eyes shot up the second the new kid walked in. Uh oh.

Lloyd's eyes scanned the black tank top with Get Scared written on it, a silver one underneath resting below the shoulders (well that was dress code) dark skinny jeans, black sneakers. He looked up to see the kid had shoulder length black hair with a green highlight and... green eyeshadow on their eyes with a bit of mascara.

Yep, this one is totally going to bully him.

"Class, this is Morro. I would like warm welcomes from all of you please." Nice job avoiding pronouns teach. "Now, would you like to introduce yourself?"

Morro's eyes scanned the classroom. "My name's Morro, I'm an orphan in foster care so don't ask about family or a last name because I don't have any, no matter the way I look, I'm not emo. I'm not a bully and really against it, if any of you think you're going to be friends with me good luck, and..." his eyes fell on Lloyd, "I don't judge people on their parents."

The entire class gasped as he swung his backpack into the seat next to Lloyd's. "Don't believe we're going to be buddy-buddies," he told him. "I had pretty messed up parents too, not to mention half my foster parents hated my guts."

The teacher even seemed surprised at his decision, but nevertheless began the lesson.

Lloyd's eyes strayed towards Morro half the class. _Who in their right mind would...?_ His thoughts were interrupted when Morro suddenly reached behind his back and grabbed something. A spitball. _What?! I didn't even notice!_ Morro wrapped it up in a tissue and turned to glare at the kid who spit it. His look sent the kid to shrink in her seat.

Lloyd took out a couple sticky notes. _Why?_ He wrote, quietly sliding it to Morro. He flipped it over. _Didn't you listen to what I said? Put it away before I get in trouble because of you._ That didn't satisfy him, so he wrote on another. _Nobody wants to be friends with me. It took years for me to gain my friends trust._ Morro sighed quietly. _I told you already. Your dad doesn't define you. Now shut up._ He pushed the sticky note back to Lloyd, turning his head to the teacher and effectively tuning him out.

That was, until a paper ball hit him in the head. Morro grabbed it before it could fall, _how the heck could he do that?_ and opened it, reading the note.

Lloyd peered at it before Morro yanked it away, seeing just barely the b word and some nasty stuff written to him, not Lloyd. "Psh, that's all they got? Idiots." He turned and gave a lopsided grin, shrugging his shoulders and paying attention to the teacher.

"Morro! Mr. Garmadon, please stop interrupting the class!" Mrs. Laudita scolded.

"I'm sor—" Lloyd started before Morro interrupted.

"Tell that to the people who called me a gay bitch," Morro answered easily. "Which is really nothing compared to what I've been called before. So nice try."

Mrs. Laudita gritted her teeth. "Don't try that on me mister."

Morro didn't pay attention. "Oh I'm sorry. You think I'm lying don't you? You think I'm a good-for-nothing jerk that's going to slam everyone into the locker? It's kind of rude to assume things about people because of the way they dress. Believe what you want, but the kids here aren't all innocent as they seem, and I've been here a solid twenty minutes."

The teacher opened and closed her mouth. "Sir I'm going to have to ask you to go to the office," she said in a weak voice.

"I apologize for whatever I have done, but I am simply pointing out things. While you were grading papers, someone in the class threw a spitball at Lloyd, and another wrote this inappropriate note," He handed it to the teacher, "I am merely defending myself."

Mrs. Laudita closed her mouth and shook her head, before taking papers and handing them to the boy.

Morro sighed as he zipped open his backpack, receiving papers from the stunned teacher. "Thanks, Mrs. Laudita," he muttered.

"Just please finish, I would prefer no more interruptions."

The raven-haired boy only nodded, eyes raking the papers and stuffing them in his binder.

Mrs. Laudita handed everyone the daily assignment and started rambling on about whatever, Lloyd didn't really pay attention to it.

Lloyd watched as Morro twirled his pencil between his fingers before filling out the assignments. "Stop staring at me, it's creepy," he hissed at Lloyd.

The blond averted his eyes to his own worksheet, trying not to stare at the new kid who had just effectively made friends (?) with him.

The lunch bell rang, and luckily everyone parted for Lloyd to grab his and go sit down with his friends. He only got tripped once and his food didn't even spill. Gosh, it was a lucky day for him.

Cole pulled off his headphones and looked at Lloyd with a knowing look. He nudged Jay's shoulder and gestured to the blond. Cole wasn't a super big talker, and no one really knew why, he only really talked when they were on "missions" and things like that.

"Is there something wrong?" Jay asked, tilting his head worriedly. Kai looked over from his ramble about something to his sister and Zane.

"New kid," he muttered simply.

Kai burst again. "That's right! He didn't even give a-" Cole looked at him, _language_ , "uh, crap, about Lloyd and just waltzed in the room. He dresses really weirdly too, I swear he broke some dress codes."

"He was very bad-boy style as you put it," Zane nodded. "He was in my second period and no one talked to him."

"He was in music class with me and Cole," Jay piped up, "the teacher called him a girl and he nearly got detention."

Lloyd picked at his food, before looking around the cafeteria for the said boy. He noticed him at a lone table, but instead of looking sad, he looked fine. Heck, he somehow sneaked out his phone and was scrolling through it.

They really are opposites. Morro relishes in his solitude while Lloyd crumbles under it.

"Lloyd?" Cole asked, waving his hand in front of the blond's face. Lloyd blinked and turned his head back to the group. "You okay?"

"Yeah... I'm good," he said, grinning. "Just zoning off."

"Hey freak!" Called a voice. Lloyd looked over as the smile on his face fell. Chen took the opportunity to try and dump ketchup on his head. Kai calmly swiped the bottle out of Chen's hands before chucking it at the other.

"Hey Chen, shut your mouth. Nobody wants to hear about your stupid stuff."

Lloyd stared at his food. "Monster," Chen snickered.

"Geez, if he's a monster you must be Hitler or

something." Morro threw a bored look at Chen. "Sure wouldn't want someone like you hiding in my closet."

"Shut up fa—" Lloyd winced, covering his ears.

Morro rolled his eyes. "Says the kid in cheer doing splits and waving pom poms. Doesn't exactly scream 'straight' to me." Chen shut his mouth. "Yeah that's what I thought."

The boy turned, huffing. Morro smirked. "Don't hit your head on the way out. Oh wait, maybe that's a good thing!"

Lloyd looked over, surprised. Morro leaned against the wall. "Damn, he's annoying as hell," he said, scrolling through his phone in annoyance. "See why you don't like him."

Maybe he had found a friend.

* * *

Morro watched as Lloyd bubbled around with his friends, smiling.

The sakura blossoms blew around as his form flickered lightly. There was no need to go back to school, a car accident would do.

"I've finally found you, Green Ninja."


	11. God Save the Outcasts

Warnings: mentions of abuse, minor language, reverse au.

Here's a snippet of I don't even know anymore.

* * *

"The Master of Wind, we meet again," Lloyd sneered.

Morro fiddled with his gloves. "What's with villains and their stupid dramatic words? It's really annoying, y'know."

"I don't suppose you would make a better one."

He rolled his eyes. "Please, there's no way I'd ever want to be a villain. Just watching you fail is entertainment enough."

"You're already speaking like one," Lloyd pointed out, tracing the vengestone bars with a smile.

"Excuse me for not being a goody-goody two shoes that tries to save everyone." Morro pulled up a chair carefully, sitting in front of Lloyd with a critical eye. "I know who deserves to rot in jail where they belong. Second chances are overrated. Just like your father."

"Just like _your_ Sensei," Lloyd snapped at the mention of Garmadon, who had ended up staying good instead of evil.

The other breathed. "Wu was never anything to me. I was just an orphan he used for his own gain. When I wasn't the destined green ninja he threw me away like a broken toy. Told me I was worthless and unless I could prove myself worthy of the green gi, couldn't come back."

Lloyd sat forward, barring his sharp teeth as his red eyes glinted. "Sounds like a tragic villain's backstory to me, now doesn't it? Why don't you join me? We can make the world better. Fix all the problems."

"The only _problem_ here is you, green ninja. You and your little friends and your teacher. That's all I care about, getting rid of you."

The blond crossing his arms. "You said you don't believe in second chances. Well, I do. You don't have to be running around saving people, put under the pressure of being a hero. We can help you."

Morro scoffed. "Look who's acting like a hero now." He leaned on the bars. "I'd say we'd probably do well if the roles were reversed, but you know I'm hell-bent on protecting this city. These streets raised me and I'm never gonna give them up to you and your little fan club. So why don't you go and find another sandbox to play in, kiddo?"

Lloyd clenched his teeth. "I'll stop you and your pathetic attempts at helping this place."

The raven-haired teen tiled his head, before turning away. "Our base is secure. You're not getting out. I have an army on my side. What do you have, ninja?" He smiled. "I don't quite think your elemental masters can stop thousands of snakes, nindriods, and ghosts. And don't you know something. The good guys always win, Lloyd Garmadon. So I hope you find a way to beat destiny."


End file.
